Process of providing a new food product and improved product produced thereby



I Patented July 3, 1928.

UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE}.

ALBERT K. E PSTEIN, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PROCESS OF PROVIDING A NEW FOOD "PRODUCT AND IMPROVED PRODUCT PRODUCED- THEREBY.

No Drawing.

' My invention relates to an improved process of providing a new food product and an improved product produced thereby, being directed more particularly to that class 5 of food products containing a protein base such as casein produced preferably from skimmed milk, with a binding or supporting medium added thereto in the nature of a an oil. My object is to provide an improved food product employing a suitable edible protein material of the character used in dairy products, such as casein, in combination with ingredients which act as a sup- ,porting or binding medium and which may increase the nutritional value. thereof, and

having other features and advantages hereinafter more particularly pointed out.

A feature of my improved product is that it has better self-supporting or binding qualities in that it will stand up or hold its shape better under relatively higher temperatures and so that the product will not so readily fall apart, thereby having the addi tional advantage ofbeing. able to ship it to 5 warmer climatesandto greater distances.

Another feature is that my improved product will not spoil so readily, thereby giving it longer'life and holding its flavor longer, with the ensuing commercial advantages flowing therefrom. I

than similar products as above referred to heretofore manufactured, so that it need not be kept under very cold temperatures either while in storage, shipping, or in the home in order to preserve its firmness, coherence, and 'shape.-

Furthermore, by the use of a greater range of oils and fats I am not limited to the market changes and other objections to the use of cocoanut oil only.

Furthermore, a product having a better or finer texture is secured, thereby giving it also certain commercial advantages.

Referring now more in detail to my'inven tion of process and product produced .thereby, I preferably take a pressed wet casein and combine it with a supporting or binding medium in the nature of edible esters or glycerides of fatty acids, such as an oil, or 'fat, or both, so th'at the resultant product remains firm. under ordinary temperatures asranging from above seventy-six degrees Fahrenhelt to ninety-eight degrees- Fahren- Application as December 29, 1924. Serial No. 758,676.

animal and vegetable oils and fats in admixture, or partially hydrogenated edible vegetable oils, or a suitable mixture of partiallv hydrogenated edible oil with natural edible vegetable or animal oils and fats, or a mixture of completely hydrogenated edible vegetable oils with natural edible vegetable or animal oils and fats, used so as to remain firm and not melt except at a'temperature' over seventy-six degrees Fahrenheit.

Vegetable oils such as refined edible cottonseed oil, corn oil, peanut oil. sesame oil, and

soya bean oil are liquid and fluid at ordinary s or natural atmospheric summer temperatures, while natural cocoanut ,oil melts at seventy-six degrees Fahrenheit. These vegetable oils may be mixed with a suitable 1 amount of lard, lard stearine. oleo, oleo oil Also it will stand higher temperatures to lend itself to ordinary handling,.and in which the final mixture will not become fluid nor quickly disintegrate at ordinary natural temperatures. The above enumerated natural edible vegetable oils which are fluid at ordinary or natural atmospheric summer temperatures may be mixed with suitable amounts of completely or partially hydrogenated edible vegetable oils such as hydro genated cottonseed or peanut or cocoanut oil, the hydrogenated cocoanut oil having amelting point of around ninety degrees Fahrenheit.

When a soft oil having a melting point of seventy-six degrees .Fahrenheit' or less is used, such as whole natural cocoanut oil, the resulting product will not stand up very room in the winter time,'when the tempera'- well during the summer time or in a heated' I Fahrenheit or over. Thus a'disadvantage pearance and naturally does not have such an appetizing appearance.

At high summer temperatures the soft oil will melt and leak out of the product making the handling of the material disagreeable and causm a depreciation in its food value because 0 the loss of .oil.

In my improved product all these objections are overcome. y

Referring now for illustration to the preferred form of my product and the processby which it is produced, I take for example eighty pounds of pressed wet casein WhlCh has a moisture content of about sixty-five per cent.

This pressed wet casein may be produced in any ordinary manner, but I preferably prepare it by clotting skimmed milk by the use of lactic acid bacteria or rennet, or both bacteria and rennet, heating it to a suitable temperature of say approximately ninety degrees Fahrenheit, but suflicient. to coagulate the coagulable protein material and separate it from the whey. The whey is then drained off, after which it is purified b "wishing the coagulated curd or casein wit water several times, or sufiiciently ,to remove the residual bacterial and the undesirable milk constituents and traces of flavoring constituents which were formed during the fermentation process and which were infbibed by the casein or spongy white curdy mass.

I now take aboutone hundred and eight pounds of the washed purified casein and subject it to pressure in a suitable press un- .til it has a moisture content of approximately sixty-five per cent, thus reducing the mass to about eighty product being what casein.

I then mix eighteen and. seven-tenths (18.7) pounds of cocoanut oil having a melting point of seventy-six degreesFahrenheit and one and three-tenths(1.3) pounds of hydrogenated edible cottonseed oil having a melting point of approximately one hundred and thirty-eight to one hundred and unds in weight, this term a wet pressed forty {degrees Fahrenheit. These oils are heated until sufliciently fluid so that'they may be thoroughly mixed. The .mixture is then cooled down to a temperature at which it will still remain fluid. The fatty mixture is then distributed in the relatively colder casein.

In order to mix the casein and oils I preferably olace the casein in a suitable stirring machine so that it may be thoroughly disintegrated and broken 7 up, and during this operation the fatty mixture is slowly added.- The mixing is then c0ntinned until the constituent elements are well 'commingled, this mixing operation running for. several minutes.

I now chill this mixture at a temperature sufficiently low so that the product willnow lend itself to a process of maceration or further grinding which also gives ita smoother texture.

The wet casein which I use is a collodial dispersion of solid protein in water." The specific physical state in which the casein exlsts in the white spongy curd-like mass makes possible the imbibition of relatively large amounts of water which is necessary to obtain the desired texture of the final product. If the mixture is subjected to a temperature sufficiently low and for a suf-' ficient length of time to freeze the water,

then the collodial equilibrium will be disturbed, the pxrotein is partially denatured, the water lea s out and the product loses its merits.

Therefore in chilling the mixture preferably subject it to a temperature of about thirty-five degrees, Fahrenheit and maintain it at that temperature for a length of time to produce a hard firm mass depending upon the quantity used in a batch. 1

After this chilling I preferablyv grind or crush the chilled product by means of stone or steel rolls, or any other suitable mecha.

nism, so that the constituents are commingled to a greater extent and the material more finely comminuted. This produces a mo e homogeneous mass and gives a finer tex ure to the product, enhancing its appearance.

After the last macerating action the prodnet is sufliciently plasticto lend itself to Y molding in suitable shapes. It is then wrapped in paper .or any other suitable substance, so as to be better protected for han-' dling.

. I do not limit myself to the quantity or proportion of casein or any other suitable protein material nor to the quantity or proportion of oil and fat mixtures specified above. Any convenient quantity or proportion of ressed wet casein and asuitable oil an fat mixture which. will give a product of a coherence which can he molded into a definite shape self-sustaining within the temperature range specified, Loonsider as coming'within the scopeofthis invention. I can .also add -to..the coni osition of matter specified above certain con iments such as salt, mustard, caraway seed, and similar substances. I may enrich its biological nutritional value by incorporating, into the mixture 'before it is hardened, suitable mineral saltssuch as calcium phosphate, iron salts, and minute quantities of sodium iodide or their equivalents. g c

If the moisture content of .the'washed casein'is high, such as: seventy-five per cent, it is difiicult to combine it with the admixture of oils and'fats to produce a product which contains suflicient mechanical strength or firmness to lend itself to be molded into a loaf soit will keep its shape. The product will be toosoft. It is thereforeadvisabletd reduce the moisture content of the washed curd by subjecting it to a preliminary press-' ing process. Ihave found that when the i curd has been sufficiently pressed so that it -3.' As a new article of manufacture, -a food. product comprising wet casein and a fatty. o

' table oil in com ination with a. relatively texture of the caseln and upon the method used in its manufacture. .What I c'laimas new and desire to secure bytUnited States LettersvPa-tent is:

1. Asa newarticle of manufacture, afood product comprising a chilled combination of a wet casein product, -fluid cocoanut oil and hydrogenated deodorizedoottonseed oil comminuted and commingled and molded into a relatively firm -homogeneous mass.

2. As a new article of manufacture,-a food product comprising a wet casein product, a

normally fluid vegetable oil with a hydro-.

genated vegetable oil Hardened sufiicien tly to be comminuted and commingled and molded intoa relatively firm homogeneous mass.

mixture consistin ofa normally fluid ve harder edible fat binder in quantities snfli I cientto produce a fatty mixture of a'melt 'ing point between 6 degrees F; and 98 degrees F. commingled and comminuted with the casein and molded into a relatively firm and homogeneous mass. v

4. As a new article of manufacture, a food product comprising proportionately approxiinately eighty pounds of wet pressed casein,

approximately eighteen and seven-tenths pounds of cocoanut oil and approximately one and three-tenths pounds of edible -hydrogenated cottonseed oil comminuted and commingled and molded into a relatively firm homogeneous mass.

5. The method of producing an article of food which consists of commingling' casein and cocoanut oil and edible hydrogenated cottonseed oil, said cottonseed oil ,having a melting point 'sufliciently high to substantially raise the normal melting'point of the perature above freezing until the mass becomes a hard rigid body, and then commi \nuting-the mixture into a macerated state.

cocoanut oil, cooling the mixture to a tem- 6. The method of -producing an article of food which consists in commingling-easein and edible esters of fatty acids having a melting point between 7 6 degrees F. and 98 degrees F. by mixing the ingredients with the latter in a fluid state, 'then'reducing the mixture to a comminuted state, then chilling the mixture into a hardened state and comminuting the chilled mixture, and then moldill'llg'i the comminuted material to a desired s ape.

7; The method of producing an articlecof food which consists in commingling casein and edible gl ycerid'es of fatty acids having a melting. point between 76 degrees F. and 98 degrees F. bymixing-the ingredients with the latter in a fluid state, then reducing the mixture to a comminuted state, then chilling themixture into a hardened state and comminuting the chilled mixture, and then molding the comminuted material to a desired shape.-

- 8. As a new article of manufacture, a food product comprising wet casein and a mixture of edible glycerides of fatty acids proportioned to produce a fatty'mixture of a melting point between 76 degrees F. and 98 degrees F. but sufiiciently hard to be com-.

mingled and comminuted with the casein and molded, into a relatively firm and homogeneous mass.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 22nd day of- December, 1924.

I ALBERT EPSTEIN= 

